Surprise! Izzy Stradlin Turns Up on John Mellencamp’s New Album

We've known for a while that John Mellencamp's recent single "Grandview" featured country singer Martina McBride, but she's not the only special guest. Turns out Izzy Stradlin, the sometimes-reclusive former co-founding Guns N' Roses guitarist, is also featured on that song from Mellencamp's new rootsy Sad Clowns & Hillbillies LP.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, NPR notes that "Grandview" is "the album's only real rocker," adding that it's "sung from the perspective a working-class middle-aged man whose biggest dream is outfitting himself with a trailer and getting out of town."

This is not the first time Stradlin has sat in with Mellencamp, who shares the guitarist's Indiana lineage. He also appeared on "Miss Missy" from 1998's John Mellencamp. By then, Stradlin had been out of Guns N' Roses for seven years. He later briefly rejoined the group in 1993, 2006 and 2012, co-founding the Ju Ju Hounds along the way, but ultimately shied away from too much public activity.

Mellencamp issued "Grandview" back in February as the second advance single from Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, which is out today. The album includes extensive collaborations with Carlene Carter. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch is also on board for "Grandview," which was written by longtime Mellencamp cohort Bobby Clark.